Essential Question: What was the impact of the Mongol Empire?

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Presentation on theme: "Essential Question: What was the impact of the Mongol Empire?"— Presentation transcript:

1 Essential Question:What was the impact of the Mongol Empire?Warm-Up Question:What were the top 3 Chinese innovations? Explain your rank order

2 Who were the Mongols? (Pg Nat Geo AWH) Read about the Mongols & write 3 facts that you learned from the reading

3 Who were the Mongols?The Mongols were among the numerous nomadic tribes who lived in Central Asia

4 Mongol life centered on herding animals, especially horsesWho were the Mongols?The Mongols lived in the harsh climate of the Eurasian steppe, an area with little rain & extreme temperaturesMongol life centered on herding animals, especially horsesMongols lived as nomadic clans, constantly searching for better pasture lands

5 Who were the Mongols?As a result of their lifestyle, the Mongols were tough warriors who occasionally raided nearby settlementsGenghis Khan built a powerful Mongol army & began a 21-year conquest of EurasiaFrom 1200 to 1206, a clan leader named Genghis Khan unified the Mongols

9 How did the Mongols create this massive empire?Several characteristics lay behind Genghis Khan’s stunning success as a conqueror. First, he was a brilliant organizer. He assembled his Mongol warriors into a mighty fighting force (see below). Following the model of the Chinese military, Genghis grouped his warriors in armies of 10,000. These in turn were organized into 1,000-man brigades, 100-man companies, and 10-man squads. He put his most battle-proven and loyal men in command of these units. Second, Genghis was a gifted strategist. He used various tricks to confuse his enemy. Sometimes, a small Mongol cavalry unit would attack, then pretend to gallop away in flight. The enemy usually gave chase. Then the rest of the Mongol army would appear suddenly and slaughter the surprised enemy forces.Finally, Genghis Khan used cruelty as a weapon. He believed in terrifying hisenemies into surrender. If a city refused to open its gates to him, he might killthe entire population when he finally captured the place. The terror the Mongolsinspired spread ahead of their armies, which led many towns to surrender withouta fight. As one Arab historian wrote, “In the countries that have not yet beenoverrun by them, everyone spends the night afraid that they may appearthere too.”Mongol soldiers were excellent horsemen; Used the horse saddle to shoot arrows while riding

10 How did the Mongols create this massive empire?Several characteristics lay behind Genghis Khan’s stunning success as a conqueror. First, he was a brilliant organizer. He assembled his Mongol warriors into a mighty fighting force (see below). Following the model of the Chinese military, Genghis grouped his warriors in armies of 10,000. These in turn were organized into 1,000-man brigades, 100-man companies, and 10-man squads. He put his most battle-proven and loyal men in command of these units. Second, Genghis was a gifted strategist. He used various tricks to confuse his enemy. Sometimes, a small Mongol cavalry unit would attack, then pretend to gallop away in flight. The enemy usually gave chase. Then the rest of the Mongol army would appear suddenly and slaughter the surprised enemy forces.Finally, Genghis Khan used cruelty as a weapon. He believed in terrifying hisenemies into surrender. If a city refused to open its gates to him, he might killthe entire population when he finally captured the place. The terror the Mongolsinspired spread ahead of their armies, which led many towns to surrender withouta fight. As one Arab historian wrote, “In the countries that have not yet beenoverrun by them, everyone spends the night afraid that they may appearthere too.”If an enemy refused to surrender, Genghis would order the death of the entire populationAs the Mongol reputation spread, many towns surrendered to Genghis without a fightGenghis was a brilliant military organizer & strategist, but his greatest tactic was terror & fear

11 “In the countries that have not yet been overrun by them, everyone spends the night afraid that they may appear there too.” (Arab historian)

12 The Impact of the Mongol EmpireThe Mongols were merciless in battle, but tolerant as rulersMongol khans (rulers) often adopted parts of the culture of the people they conqueredIn the East, Mongols embraced Chinese cultureWhile ferocious in war,the Mongols were quite tolerant in peace. They rarely imposed their beliefs or wayof life on those they conquered. Over time, some Mongol rulers even adoptedaspects of the culture of the people they ruled. The Ilkhans and the Golden Horde,for example, became Muslims. Growing cultural differences among the khanatescontributed to the eventual splitting up of the empire.In the West, Mongols converted to Islam

13 The Impact of the Mongol EmpireChinese technologies like gunpowder & the magnetic compass reached EuropeBut diseases like the plague (Black Death) reached Europe tooMongol khans brought stability & order to EurasiaThe era from the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s is called the Pax Mongolica (“Mongol Peace”)From the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s, the Mongols imposed stability and law and order across much of Eurasia. This period is sometimes called the Pax Mongolica, or Mongol Peace. The Mongols guaranteed safe passage for trade caravans, travelers, and missionaries from one end of the empire to another Trade between Europe and Asia had never been more active. Ideas and inventionstraveled along with the trade goods. Many Chinese innovations, such as gunpowder,reached Europe during this period.Other things spread along with the goods and the ideas. Some historians speculatethat the epidemic of bubonic plague that devastated Europe during the 1300s wasfirst spread by the Mongols. (See Chapter 14.) The disease might have traveledalong trade routes or have been passed to others by infected Mongol troops.For a brief period of history, the nomadic Mongols were the lords of city-basedcivilizations across Asia, including China. As you will read in Section 3, Chinacontinued to thrive under Mongol rule.During the Pax Mongolica, the Mongols guaranteed safe passage across the Silk RoadAs a result, trade & cultural diffusion increased between Europe & Asia

14 The khanate in Persia helped control the Silk RoadAfter the death of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire was divided into 4 major khanates each ruled by a son or grandson of GenghisThe Mongol destruction of Kiev increased the importance of Moscow in RussiaThe khanate in Persia helped control the Silk RoadThe Mongols were the first non-Muslims to rule over the Islamic Empire

15 But the most significant khanate was the Mongol rule over ChinaAfter the death of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire was divided into 4 major khanates each ruled by a son or grandson of GenghisBut the most significant khanate was the Mongol rule over ChinaIn 1279, Genghis’ grandson Kublai Khan became the first foreign leader to rule China

16 Kublai Khan began a new era in China called the Yuan DynastyKublai enjoyed Chinese culture so much that he moved the Mongolian capital to ChinaKublai Khan began a new era in China called the Yuan DynastyBut, he excluded the Chinese from serving in high gov’t offices & relied on foreigners to serve in his government

17 Kublai proved to be a good emperor for ChinaUnder Kublai, foreign trade with China increased due to the Pax MongolicaHe built roads & extended the Grand Canal to help improve transportation in China

18 Marco PoloIn 1275, a European merchant named Marco Polo visited Kublai Khan’s courtKublai was so impressed with Marco Polo that he employed him in the Yuan gov’t for 17 yearsWhen Marco Polo returned to Italy in 1792, his stories of China increased European demand for Asian trade

19 In 1370, the Mongols lost control of Central AsiaBy the time of Kublai’s death in 1294, the entire Mongol Empire was growing weakIn 1480, under Ivan III Russia gained independence from Mongol rule & started the Romanov DynastyIn 1370, the Mongols lost control of Central AsiaIn 1368, the Chinese overthrew the Mongols & started the Ming DynastyIn 1330, the Mongols lost control of Persia